NEW YORK, May 12 (Reuters) - The operators of LimeWire
agreed to pay record companies $105 million, ending a federal
trial over copyright infringement damages owed by the once
popular but now defunct file-sharing service.

The settlement with 13 record companies, including labels
owned by Sony Corp (6758.T), Vivendi SA (VIV.PA), Warner Music
Group Corp WMG.N and Citigroup Inc's (C.N) EMI Group,
followed mediation, and ends nearly five years of litigation.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan had ruled last
May that LimeWire's parents, Lime Group and Lime Wire LLC,
wrongfully assisted users in pirating digital recordings.

She shut down LimeWire in October, leaving open the
question of damages that could have exceeded $1 billion on
roughly 10,000 recordings released since 1972. A jury trial
over that issue had begun last week.

"Lime Wire and its founder, Mark Gorton, are pleased that
this case has concluded," according to their law firm Willkie,
Farr & Gallagher, which announced the settlement.

"We are pleased to have reached a large monetary
settlement," RIAA Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol said in a
statement. He called the accord a victory for music providers
that "play by the rules."

Founded in 2000, LimeWire has been a thorn for record
companies because millions of fans used it as an easy means to
find and download music for free. Its owners have said the
service once had more than 50 million monthly users.

LimeWire shut down five years after the U.S. Supreme Court,
in a 2005 case involving file-sharing service Grokster Ltd,
said companies could be sued for copyright infringement if they
distributed services designed to be used for that purpose, even
if the devices could also be used lawfully.

Warner Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman testified Wednesday
at the trial that he was frustrated that LimeWire did not shut
down or convert to a "legal service" after the Grokster ruling.
"It's devastating, frankly."

In March, Lime Group settled a separate copyright lawsuit
by more than 30 music publishers. Terms were not disclosed.
[nN08178050] Record companies own copyrights to recordings
while publishers can own copyrights to the songs themselves.

The case is Arista Records LLC et al v Lime Group et al,
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.
06-05936.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Gary
Hill)